Mailing-box.



G. BODEN. lsflAILINf;` BOX,

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1904.

932,431, Patented Aug. 31,` 1909.

ANDREW. s. emma cm PMoYlbmm-MQGRAPNERS. wmmrmms. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

v GEORGE BODEN, OF WATERTOWN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 OAKVILLE COMPANY, OF

`NTERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

MAILING-B OX.

Speeeaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Ang. 31,` 1909.

Application led July 18, 1904. Serial N0. 216,968.

To atl whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BODEN, of IYatcrtown, county of Litchfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mailing-Boxes; and I do hereby (leelare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to that class of boxes which are commonly used in sending small articles by inail, and has for its object to provide such a box with means whereby it may be conveniently used for returning or remailing to the original sender.

To that end the invention consists in a box provided with a folding flap for closing the box and having a suitable space for the name and address of the party to whom the box is to be mailed, and with a folding extension having a suitable space for the name and address of the party to whom the box is to be. remailed, the parts being so constructed and arranged that either one of the two addresses may be exposed to view and the other concealed from view.

The further invention consists in certain features of construction and arrangement to be hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the mailing box showing the same as open and with the folding parts extended; Fig. 2 is a top view, and Eig. 3 a bottom view, of the box with the folding parts in like position; E ig. el is a perspective view of the box closed and with the flap and extension folded as for the original mailing; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the box closed and with the parts folded as for remailing.

The box A, which may be made of any suitable material, such as paste-board, is of any usual or suitable construction open at one end. To close this open end a folding tlab B is secured to one side of the box, said flap being adapted to fold across the open end and over on to the opposite side of the box. Preferably this folding flap B is made in two parts a and a', the part a constituting the portion adapted to close the open end of the box and the part a constituting the portion adapted to fold over on the opposite side of the box. Then so constructed it is preferred to connect the part a to the box by means of a hinge-joint and to connect the part a to the part L by .means of a similar hinge joint 7). These hinge-joints may be conveniently made by means of strips of cloth in a well kno-wn manner. Connected to the part a of the folding flap B by means of a similar hinge-joint c is a folding extension C, preferably of substantially the saine size as said part a. IVith this construction the folding flap and extension may be folded as shown in F ig. et, that is, with the folding extension C folded under the part a of the .flap B, or they may be folded as shown in Fig. 5, that is, with the folding extension C folded over the part a of the flap B. In either arrangement a fastener (l projecting from the box A and arranged to pass through perforations c e in the part a and extension C respectively serves to hold these parts in their folded position and thus to hold the box closed.

It is obvious that by placing the name and address of the party to whom the box is to be originally sent on one side of the part o, and the name and address of the party to whom the box is to be remailed upon the opposite side of the extension C, as shown in the drawings, the former will be exposed and the latter concealed when the parts are folded as shown in Fig. 4, and that the reverse will be the case when the parts are folded as shown in Fig. 5. dien the box lis to be remailed to the original sender his name and address may be written or printed upon the folding extension before the box is originally mailed, and in such case all that is required on the part of the recipient to prepare the box for remailing is simply to fold the extension C over upon the part a in closing the box, as shown in Fig. 5, and fasten the parts in position by the fastener (Z.

It is evident that, if desired, the position of the two addresses may be reversed from that shown, that is, the first address may be upon the extension C and the address for remailing on the part a.

IVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A mailing box having a flap to close the box, said fiap being provided with a folding extension adapted to receive an address on either side thereof and constructed to be folded upon the out-side of the box so as to expose one of said addresses and conceal the other and means for detaehably securing said folding extension in its folded position upon the outside of said box body, substantially as described.

2. mailing` box having a flap to close the box, said flap being provided with a folding extension adapted to receive an address on either side thereof and constructed to be folded upon the outside of the box so as to expose one of said addresses and conceal the other, and means secured to the box body for detachably securing` said folding,l extension in either of its folded positions, substantiall)7 as described.

3. A mailing box having a flap to close the box, said Hap being provided with ai folding?)` extension adapted to receive an address on either side thereof and constructed to be folded upon the outside of the box so as to expose one of said addresses and conceal the other7 and a fastener secured to the box and arranged and adapted to pass through perforations in the folding` extension for detachably securingl said flap and foldii'ig' extension to close the box and with said folding extension in either of its folded positions, substantially as described.

GEORGE BODEN.

VitnesseS C. E. DAVIS, C. B. BUGKINGHAM. 

